Rotary pumps and like power-transmitting devices have been well known in the prior art. Such rotary pumps particularly relating to air compressors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,319,718, 646,031, and 580,714. Such known pumps in general comprise a plurality of pneumatic or hydraulic pumps which radiate from a casing around a substantially circular line. Each of the pumps has a cylinder with a reciprocating piston therein, with a piston rod connected at one end to a lever arm. The other end of the lever arm is connected to the casing.
Mounted concentric with the casing is a rotor or rotor-like member which typically carries a number of rollers thereon. The rollers are rotatably mounted on the rotor-like element a fixed distance from the hub of the member. That is, the rollers do not have the ability to move radially inwardly or outwardly. The rollers thus follow a circular path of fixed radius as they are spun by the rotor-like element.
The lever arms are biased to extend within the outer radius of the circular path of the spinning rollers. As the rotor element turns, each of the rollers depresses the lever arms in succession, thereby driving the pistons within the pump cylinders to pump and/or compress a fluid medium.
It is an object of this invention to make an improved rotary pump of the foregoing type. It is a particular object of this invention to make such an improved rotary pump through utilization of the inertial forces developed in the orbiting rollers to thereby increase the overall efficiency of the pump.